The Boy Who Killed
by filmbuff004
Summary: AU story. It shows what I believe would have happened if Draco Malfoy had killed Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower. The story will primarily show events from Draco's point of view after this has all happened but it will also show Harry's point of view. The story will show some events from Deathly Hallows where Draco was a key player before showing a slightly altered ending.
1. Chapter 1 The Wrong Choice

CHAPTER 1 – The Wrong Choice

 _This is it. This is the moment I will be remembered for._

Draco had thought of this moment for almost a year. He had hoped that he wouldn't actually have to look Dumbledore in the eyes when it happened but now he was out of options. That Katie Bell was daft enough to touch the necklace and Slughorn was so stupid to share the mead with Potter and Weasley.

 _How he became of Head of Slytherin I'll never know._

Draco quickly made his way up the Astronomy Tower. He knew those he let into the school through the cabinet were not far behind. Aunt Bellatrix was leading the group which consisted of the Carrows, Rowle and Yaxley. They even brought that filthy werewolf Greyback. _That creature scared me._

He paused. Dumbledore was talking.

"Trust me. Trust me".

Someone was with him. Draco raised his wand and stepped into view.

There was no one else with Dumbledore. The room was empty save for the headmaster. This wasn't right. Dumbledore looked worse for wear, as if he had just had a very bad day.

Dumbledore barely appeared to be fazed by Draco's intrusion. "Good Evening Draco" he calmly spoke as he began to move right. Draco stepped left in order to keep Dumbledore in his sight. "What brings you here. On this fine spring evening?" he asked. _Is he playing dumb with me? He's trying to intimidate me._

"Who else is here? I heard you talking" Draco fired back at the headmaster. Someone had to be here or Dumbledore wouldn't be so calm. _He will not put me in one of his little traps._

Dumbledore responded calmly with "Oh, I often talk aloud to myself. I find it extraordinarily useful". _He's really lost it._ "Have you been whispering to yourself, Draco?"

He knows. How could he know? Draco had told nobody at Hogwarts about the task that the Dark Lord had given him. Not Crabbe and Goyle, not Blaise, not even Pansy. He knew they would all be supportive of his task and encourage him to kill Dumbledore in person. Draco didn't want their words as they would not be useful at all.

Dumbledore continued to move and Draco kept him in his sight. The headmaster might have been an old fool but he was still dangerous if his duel with the Dark Lord was anything to go by. Draco knew he had no chance against someone like Dumbledore. "Draco. You are no assassin" Dumbledore spoke assuredly. _He's trying to rope me in like he does with Potter._ Draco won't let that happen. "How do you know what I am?" Draco let out defiantly. Dumbledore didn't know Draco, they barely interacted, father always said Dumbledore was the worst headmaster in Hogwarts' history and Potter was clearly his favourite. "I've done things that would shock you" Draco continued but before he could explain, Dumbledore did that for him "Oh like cursing Katie Bell and hoping that in return she'd bare a cursed necklace to me? Like replacing a bottle of mead with one laced with poison?"

 _He knew. All this time he must have. And he didn't have me arrested. Why?_ "Forgive me Draco, but I can't help feeling that these actions are so weak that your heart can't have really been in them" the old headmaster continued. He is not scared or angry, he seems to care. Draco couldn't fall for it, if he did…

Draco couldn't think of it.

He won't let Dumbledore twist his mind "He trusts me. I was chosen" Draco fired back as he pulled up his sleeve to show Dumbledore that his attempt to talk Draco out of his path was too late. The Dark Mark was clear to see. The only other under age wizard the Dark Lord had branded with the mark was Regulus Black, a distant cousin.

"I shall make it easy for you" Dumbledore drew his wand.

"Expelliarmus" The wand flew out of Dumbledore's rotten hand. _He's getting slow._ If the old headmaster was afraid he never showed it. Instead he complimented Draco "Very good, Very good". Draco knew Dumbledore was playing games with him. He was trying to get in his head and make him turn.

The sound of a door opening was heard. Dumbledore was still not afraid of what was happening. He was merely curious "You're not alone? There are others" Dumbledore looked to Draco. He wanted to know how Draco achieved this without alerting the aurors. He stepped forward "How?"

There was not harm in answering the question, he wouldn't live much longer. "The vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement. I've been mending it" Draco declared with a false sense of pride. Dumbledore still was not afraid, he just inquired "Let me guess, it has a sister? A twin?" He was right. Draco had examined the sister at Borgin and Burkes and spent many months trying to repair that wreck of a cabinet into something of actual use. "At Borgin and Burkes. They form a passage" Draco answered with that same pride in his voice.

Even still, Dumbledore was not afraid. Draco could not understand. _How can he be so calm? He will die tonight and he is not scared._

"Ingenius" Dumbledore complimented. Draco knew the man was still trying to rope him in. Even after everything he had done. _Why?_ Dumbledore took another step forward and with no trace of malice or ill will in his voice "Draco, years ago I knew a boy who made all the wrong choices" _He's trying to save me._ Draco didn't understand why this man would ever want to such thing. "Please let me help you" he continued. _No!_ Draco could not let this man get to him. "I don't want your help" Draco retorted with all the false pride gone and with tears building in his eyes. He didn't care what Dumbledore had to say. He had to complete the task. "Don't you understand? I have to do this. I have to kill you. Or he's going to kill me" His voice broke. Draco knew the price of failure and the fear of death was all it took for him to agree to the Dark Lord's wishes.

The footsteps grew closer. Dumbledore no longer looked to Draco instead to those who had just entered the room. Draco recomposed his face. He would not appear weak in front of his peers or his aunt.

Bellatrix was delighted. "Well, what have we here?" she said as the Carrows, Rowle and Yaxley engulfed the room. Greyback walked up beside Draco. He didn't look impressed at all. Bellatrix was directly behind Draco and with softness in her voice she uttered "Well done, Draco" This was all Draco needed now. His aunt watching. Now he truly had no choice.

Bellatrix stepped out in front of Draco. Even in a room with those that would happily kill him for the Dark Lord's favour, Dumbledore still showed no fear as he stepped back towards the balcony. "Good evening Bellatrix. I think introductions are in order, don't you?" Dumbledore asked with trace of fear in his voice. He spoke like he was greeting an old friend. Bellatrix, for her part, played along with his friendly manner "Love to Albus. But I'm afraid we're on a bit of a tight schedule". She looked to Draco and said the words "Do it".

She was serious, she wanted Draco to complete his task. She might have lost all sense of reality in Azkaban but she did still care for her family. "He doesn't have the stomach, just like his father" Greyback spoke out with clear disdain. Draco wouldn't let that kind of insult pass. _The old Draco wouldn't anyway._ "Let me finish him in my own way" he continued "NO!" Bellatrix quickly fired back. "The Dark Lord has clear orders for the boy to do it."

Draco had to do it. They were watching and if he failed not even his aunt would stop the Dark Lord from enforcing his punishment. Bellatrix continued to push Draco "This is your moment. Do it" Draco still remained still with his wand pointed directly at Dumbledore. "Go on Draco, NOW!" she screamed with desperation in her voice. Even still Draco couldn't say the words.

"No"

Draco lowered his wand and looked behind him to see Professor Snape walking into the room. _He'll do it. He'll make the hard choice. And I will be a failure._

"Severus" Dumbledore calmly spoke out. He is not afraid. "Please"

"Avada Kedavra"

A flash green fired from Draco's wand, striking the old headmaster and throwing from the balcony to a long fall to the ground.

A tear left Draco's eye. He did it. And he felt… horrible.

Something was wrong. He felt wrong, like something was broken. He couldn't explain but he knew that no one else in the room would have felt this way. _They were killers. And I am one of them._


	2. Chapter 2 The Boy Who Killed

CHAPTER 2 – The Boy Who Killed

 _Hogwarts_

Harry was still dealing with it. Harry knelt alone in the common room dealing with it. Dumbledore was actually gone. Murdered by the blonde ferret Malfoy. Dumbledore deserved better. He was ready to help Malfoy, he knew of all the attempts Malfoy had made on his life and yet he still believed Malfoy could be saved. _If only I had done something…_ Harry knew deep down he would be dead alongside Dumbledore now if he tried to save him that night. And then Dumbledore would have died for nothing.

Ron and Hermione were approaching Harry. They were just as sad to see Dumbledore dead and even more surprised that Malfoy was the one responsible. When Harry first told them that Malfoy had joined Voldemort's ranks, they dismissed it. With good reason, Malfoy was more of a nuisance than anything else so of course Voldemort wouldn't pick him.

Hermione had under her arm _The Daily Prophet_. Harry reached out his hand. Hermione handed over the _Prophet_.

 **The Boy Who Killed** was the headline. It took up most of the front page along with a photo of Malfoy. _Guess the Prophet wanted something like 'The Boy Who Lived'._ Harry wasn't interested in reading the article, he just wanted to know how people had reacted to Dumbledore's murder at the hands of one of his students. Harry wasn't particularly thrilled about the student in question being the focus of the article that declared that Dumbledore was dead. This was not fair.

Remus had told Harry that the Ministry had Malfoy Manor searched and seized. While the family had managed to flee the home, all of the dark artefacts Lucius had collected had been taken by the Ministry and locked away. That gave Harry some joy, knowing that the Malfoys were homeless and their worldly processions had been taken from them. It wouldn't surprise Harry if he learned that the Ministry had also seized the Malfoy fortune, leaving the family as little more than beggars.

Harry didn't know where Malfoy and his mother were but he knew that one day Malfoy would answer for what he had done. Harry would see do that.

 _Little Hangleton – Riddle Home_

The house was falling apart, covered in cob webs and was owned by mudbloods. Draco hated this house from the moment he saw it.

Yet he had no choice but call this place home until the Dark Lord had finally taken the Ministry. The Dark Lord had promised that Draco would have his family home back as a reward for completing his task. The Dark Lord seemed surprised. He didn't believe Draco had it in him to be a killer. But Draco proved him wrong and now he had earned his place amongst his ranks. The Dark Lord was so generous that he promised to have his father freed from Azkaban. When Yaxley revealed that the Ministry had seized the Malfoy vault in Gringotts and had stripped it clean, Draco despised the Ministry. He always had hated the Ministry with their ineffective laws but now he truly wanted rid of them.

And yet, Draco still felt terrible. Ever since he had muttered the killing curse, Draco has felt like something was wrong with him. He couldn't explain to anyone what he meant but he felt like something was torn. He didn't understand why he was feeling like this. The Dark Lord didn't feel this way after his first kill, nor did father or mother, nor aunt Bellatrix nor all of the Death Eaters that had ever taken a life. And yet Draco felt this way. _Why?_

 _Because you regret it._ The voice in the back of his head whispered. Draco tried and failed to keep that nagging voice telling him that he had made the wrong choice away. It still lingered and it wouldn't leave him be, not even in his sleep. Draco was getting tired of this voice in his head but he didn't know how to make it leave. Nor could he tell anyone about it. If they knew a part of him regretted killing Dumbledore, The Dark Lord would learn of it and Draco would never be able to explain. And his family would pay the price.


	3. Chapter 3 I Chose Wrong

CHAPTER 3 – I Chose Wrong

The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour was dead. The Dark Lord has won.

Yet Potter still lived. He had disappeared. Anyone that could be used to lure him back into the fold had also disappeared. The Dark Lord was not pleased. Lately, his mind seemed to be elsewhere. He wasn't as focused on dealing with the mudbloods and halfbreeds as they should be. Instead he seemed fixated on acquiring a wand.

The Manor and the family gold had been returned as promised but Draco didn't feel great at home. Mother insisted that he go back to Hogwarts but Draco would have none of it. Draco was already infamous in the Wizarding World for killing Dumbledore, he didn't want to have go back to the pathetic school and be reminded of that.

Draco had taken to wandering the grounds in order to pass the time. His parents were hardly the kind he could talk to. Father hadn't been very talkative since he was freed and was still embarrassed for being without a wand. Mother was no better, she didn't like having the Death Eaters frequently visiting the home.

Draco had come to prefer his alone time. Even when Crabbe and Goyle were following him around there wasn't much in terms of conversation.

It was driving Draco mad.

 _I've got to tell someone._

Draco needed to tell someone about how he felt after killing Dumbledore and the constant split in his soul he could feel. He hadn't felt right for so long. He needed something to get his mind off it.

For some unknown reason, Draco made for the cellar. There was only one prisoner in there and Draco didn't particularly like him but at least he won't talk to anyone.

Draco stopped by the bars. He peered into the dark cellar. _Not a single ray of light in here._ He was looking for the shape of an old man but it was hard to spot in the dark. Then movement could be heard.

 _So, he's still alive._

Ollivander had seen better days. His hair was grown longer and unruly, the colour in his skin was almost gone leaving the old man to resemble a ghost and he always had a shaken, frightened look on his face. By Draco's guess, he'll be dead by the end of next year.

"What do you want?" Ollivander asked. He didn't understand why Draco was just standing there. By now either Wormtail will have left his scraps for Ollivander or if the Dark Lord wished to… question him then the bars would have been opened right now.

The old man feebly stepped forward. He was confused. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Draco had to answer the old man "Just needed to talk to someone".

Ollivander gawked at him. That was the last thing he expect to hear from Draco. He slowly sat himself back down. He was interested in having a conversation with him. "Then go talk to your parents or to that little lump of a servant you keep" he fired back to Draco. Ollivander didn't like him. _I don't blame him._

Draco hated Wormtail, so he wasn't go to talk to him. His parents were not the kind you could talk to about problems, so no. This left Draco struck with an old man that hated him and wanted nothing to do with him.

"The last time I saw you, I was purchasing my wand" Draco calmly uttered. He didn't bare the old man any ill will. The same could not be said about Ollivander who remarked "Your mother picked that one out for you. She completely disregarded my opinions and insisted that her son shall have the finest wand in my shop". Ollivander sounded angrier about having his opinion overruled than anything else.

"It still accepted me" Draco retorted. Wandmakers always said that the wand chooses the wizard. That was all Draco had to fire back at the old man.

"Yes, lucky thing too" Ollivander spoke back.

Draco was getting nowhere. He had to say what was on his mind. _Why bother? The old man hates you and the very breath you breathe._ That was all true but Draco didn't care anymore. "Wands have a choice?" Draco asked Ollivander.

The old man responded "The wand chooses the wizard. That's the way it has always been". Draco continued with "They always make the right choice?"

Only then did Ollivander seem to understand why Draco was bothering him. The old man looked at Draco with no understanding but disbelief "Are you saying that you regret joining the Death Eaters?" the old man bellowed with confusion. "No" Draco responded quickly. _That was a lie._ A part of him did regret joining the Dark Lord's ranks but it was his dream ever since his father told him about it.

The old man was even more puzzled 'Well if you have any regrets, you better hope that it's not too late".

"It is" Draco feebly answered tears filling his eyes.

It was far too late for Draco to do anything about his regrets. He had gone too far and even if, by some miracle, the Dark Lord was defeated he would still be The Boy Who Killed. Dumbledore's Murderer. No one would let him remain free for that. He would be in Azkaban until he was finally dead. Draco didn't particularly like that idea, the year is father spend in there had changed him. Draco wasn't interested in letting that happen to himself.

"I made a choice. I chose wrong" Draco finished. _I should've accepted his help, at least I would be away from the Dark Lord._

Draco could feel something was changing. He felt more at ease than he had for some time. He was repairing himself by admitting his mistake. Regardless of that, Draco was still a killer. _And I'll never make it right. There's no point anymore._


	4. Chapter 4 Potter Captured

CHAPTER 4 – Potter Captured

 _Potter captured. Here._

Draco rose from his armchair as he saw the prisoners being brought in. Greyback and his cronies had smug, satisfied faces. _They're enjoying this._

Draco saw the prisoners clearly. Granger and Weasley. _Not exactly hiding._ And… _was that Potter?_

Potter looked revolting. _Even more so than usual._ It was like his face was completely swollen with one eye completely closed and lumps of skin which left his face undesirable. It was Potter but why was he looking like this?

 _Poor excuse for a disguise._

"Well, Draco? Is it? Is it Harry Potter?" Father spoke with excitement in his voice. Draco finally understood why they dragged the prisoners to him. They want to know for sure.

"I can't – I can't be sure"

 _Why did I say that?_ Draco couldn't believe he did that. It was clearly Potter trying to hide with a Stinging Jinx. It wouldn't even fool the idiot girls that swooned over Potter. And yet why did he lie? _You don't want another death on your conscious._ That voice was back. He thought his confession to Ollivander was the last he would have to hear it. It returned, however. _At the worst possible time._

"But look at him carefully, look! Come closer!" Father spoke again. He was excited about the prospect of having captured Potter. Draco couldn't remember the last time he saw his father so excited. "Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv-"

"Now we won't be forgetting who actually caught him, I hope, Mr Malfoy" Greyback pried. "Of course not, of course not" Father answered back. In the old days Greyback wouldn't have been able to utter word before Father would cut him off. Now Father was reassuring him like a dog.

Father looked to Greyback with annoyance "What did you do to him? How did he get into this state?" he bellowed. Father actually thinks those vultures actually did this to Potter. This kind of disguise would only come from the mind of desperate fool. _Fit Potter like a glove._

"That wasn't us" Greyback retorted. _No respect in his voice. The Malfoy name must really be in the decline if a werewolf could talk like that to us._

"Looks more like a Stinging Jinx to me" _Finally Father you're right about something._

"I don't know" that was all Draco could say. He no longer knew what to do. Tell them the truth, that Potter has been captured and let him die or lie and get alongside Potter. _If I had sense I'd just give him up._

"What about the mudblood, then?" _Oh great, now I have to identify the mudblood._ Mother spoke with absolute conviction "Yes! I saw her picture in the _Prophet_! Look, Draco, isn't it the Granger girl?"

It was her. Draco remembered the filthy mudblood who punched him and who didn't know her place. Even still Draco didn't want to look at her. _She'd make my stomach turn_. "Maybe… yeah" That was all Draco could say without looking at her. "Then, that's the Weasley boy! Potter's friends!" Father called out with excitement. That, too, was true. It was clearly Weasley, Potter's treasure. Draco still couldn't look at him. "It could be" _They'll find out soon enough and then what will you say?_ Draco no longer cared what happened. He just wanted this to end.

 _After Harry and Ron are thrown in the cellar_

Aunt Bellatrix left the mudblood and threw onto the floor. "Crucio" Bellatrix shouted. She has lost her senses. Something had scared her enough to not call the Dark Lord.

The mudblood let out a horrible scream. Draco was going to get tired of this quickly.

"HERMIONE! HERMIONE!"

Weasley could be heard calling out for his mudblood love. _Pathetic._ She'll be dead soon enough, if the curse was responsible or not, it didn't matter either way. Aunt Bellatrix wasn't one to let a mudblood live.

 _At least the mudblood has someone that loves her._ That voice again. Draco knew it was right, didn't mean he liked listening to it. The only people Draco could say actually loved him were his parents. Pansy fawned over him, that wasn't love, that was obsession. Draco couldn't even tell if Crabbe or Goyle actually liked him.

The mudblood had even more. Her parents surely loved her. And she has Potter and Weasley. And his entire family of blood traitors. And is friends with a whole host of pathetic fools Draco would never sully himself with. _Oh great, I'm envious of a mudblood. A new low._

She continued to scream and Weasley continued to cry out for her. Draco was getting tired of this. _Just answer my aunt, you stupid mudblood!_

"We've never been inside your vault… it isn't the real sword! It's a copy!" she finally answered. Properly a lie but still… "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!" Bellatrix shouted.

Draco snapped back to reality. Time to return to the cellar. Ollivander has properly told the others about his visit. _It's your own fault._

He approached the bars. He drew his wand to unlock it. When suddenly…

Weasley punched him on his nose. Through the bars. "Let her go, you bastard!" _The idiot's in love._ Draco pointed his wand straight at Weasley. He wasn't going to let a blood traitor get to him. "Get back" Draco uttered with a poor attempt at sounding callous. Weasley stepped away as Draco opened the bars. He finally turned his attention to the goblin "Goblin, come with me"

The goblin approached him. No one tried anything, Draco kept his wand drawn just in case. Once the goblin was out Draco quickly shut the bars and locked them again.

Draco brought the goblin before Bellatrix. The mudblood was laying at her feet. _She looks dead… but she's just about breathing. Shame._

Mother hurried to Draco and fussed over his nose. It was clear that he had been punched. Draco didn't want to talk about it.

Bellatrix picked up the stupid sword and slowly handed it over to the goblin. He examined it closely. Bellatrix had no patience left "Well? Is it the true sword?" The goblin answered back "No, it is a fake". He sounded so sure of it. _Well now we can deal with the prisoners and not get worked up about a stupid sword._

"Good" Bellatrix was finally calm. It was creepy. Draco didn't like seeing her so calm. It wasn't normal. "And now, we call the Dark Lord" Bellatrix continued as she turned her attention back to the half dead mudblood at her feet. Without even looking she told Greyback "Greyback. Take her if you want her."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Weasley burst into the room. "Expelliarmus" Aunt's wand flew from her grasp and into Potter's own. "Stupefy" Father thrown into the fireplace. Draco moved quickly to block their path, alongside Mother and Greyback. _I've gone too far to help Potter now._ Potter and Weasley were vicious in firing back spells. _They really to care for this mudblood._

"STOP OR SHE DIES!"

Bellatrix held the mudblood up off the ground with a dagger at her throat. _That should stop them._ "Drop your wands" she called out. The fools just stood in shock. _They really are idiots._

"I said drop them!" Bellatrix yelled out.

Weasley dropped his wand first, Potter followed suit. Bellatrix smiled her hideous smile and ordered "Draco, pick them up!"

Draco did as he was told. He took the wands from Potter and Weasley. Potter's face was normal again. _Good. The disguise nearly made me throw up my dinner._

Draco quickly took a step back from the fools who thought they could save the mudblood just like that.

Then a strange sound was heard. Draco looked up, so did everyone in the room. Someone was on the chandelier. With a creek, it fell. Draco moved away with speed to avoid the shattered glass. The only one with no sense was Weasley. He dived to catch his mudblood in his arms.

Before Draco could act, Potter reached him. He pulled at the wands in Draco's hand. _NO!_ Draco wasn't going to let Potter go.

Potter, however, was resourceful. He reached a small shard of glass and slashed it at Draco's cheek. Draco flew back in pain, letting the wands go and covered his face, blood pouring out. _First the mudblood punches me, then Weasley does the same and now this. Today just keeps getting better and better._


	5. Chapter 5 FIRE!

CHAPTER 5 – FIRE!

Draco had enough. He was going to get Potter for what he had done. First, he cut his cheek then he took my wand. That left Draco with only his mothers to use instead.

Draco had pulled Crabbe and Goyle and dragged them into Hogwarts. If he was going to capture Potter, he needed them at his back. Potter would put up a fight and Weasley and Granger were always at his side.

Draco spotted Potter. He was alone. _This is perfect._

Except the Room of Requirement began to form. Draco might have used it last year but the room would accommodate all those in need of it. Potter entered the room. _He won't escape me._ Draco dragged Crabbe and Goyle along to towards the door. Potter will not escape.

The Room was full of the old junk that had been discarded. It was the very room Draco kept coming to fix that wrecked cabinet. Draco looked around, Potter had to be close.

And there he was.

Potter was stood by a table. He was staring down at an old box.

Draco raised his wand, Crabbe and Goyle followed his lead. They quietly sneaked up to Potter.

"Well. Well" Draco called out. Potter looked at him, his attention completely off the box. Something was wrong. Why was Potter in here? Potter always ran into danger, he liked being the hero. So why was he hiding in this room? "What brings you here, Potter?" Draco inquired.

Potter faced him. He wasn't afraid, more surprised. "I could ask you the same" he answered. _Even now, he acts the hero._ Draco knew why he followed Potter, why he entered a battle and why he pulled Crabbe and Goyle into this. He wanted Potter. He wanted to drag him to the Dark Lord. He wanted to show the world that he was capable. Potter's escape left the Dark Lord furious, this would earn me his forgiveness.

First, Draco needed something back "You have something of mine. I'd like it back" he bluntly made clear. Draco wasn't going to let Potter keep his wand. Potter asked dismissively "What's wrong with the one you have?" _He's trying to annoy._ Draco was quick to answer "It's my mother's. It's powerful but it's not the same. It doesn't quite understand me. You know what I mean?" His mother's wand worked well enough but it still felt… off. He imagined that Potter was experiencing the same.

"Why didn't you tell her? Bellatrix?" Potter continued. _He knows._ Draco knew what would happen if anyone knew he didn't want to identify Potter, that would be it. Crabbe and Goyle would turn on him, Bellatrix would discard him and the Dark Lord would kill him. Potter didn't stop there "You knew it was me, but you didn't say anything" _He's got you there._ Potter must have seen Draco's reluctance in his face. Potter now reminded Draco of Dumbledore. They were both unafraid, even at the end.

"Go on, Draco" Crabbe whispered in his ear. _He's serious._ "Don't be a prat. Do it" Crabbe continued. Draco didn't have anything. No spells came to mind. Nor any curses. _Now I'm the idiot._ Draco couldn't bring himself to attack Potter.

 _Put the wand down._ That voice. Draco was more torn then he had been before. He hated killing Dumbledore. He wouldn't hand Potter over to certain death. Now he couldn't even capture him. _This is a bloody nightmare!_

Potter reached to his pocket. Draco stepped forward "Easy". Potter could not win. There were three of them and only one of-

"Expelliarmus"

Mother's wand flew from Draco's hand as Granger ran from around the corner with Weasley behind her.

Draco hid behind Goyle and began to pull him back, along with Crabbe. Now they had no chance. Crabbe resisted and fired back "Avada Kedavra" "Stupefy" The spells missed their targets and the Slytherins fled.

Weasley cried out "THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND YOU NUMPTY!" as he pursued them.

Draco had gotten lost, he didn't know how to run from Weasley and Crabbe and Goyle didn't want to. They halted and fired spells at Weasley. Weasley didn't relent and attack with murderous intent. _Oh god, he's going to kill us!_ If Draco had ever been scared in his life, it was now.

Weasley swiftly disarmed Goyle and swung at him. Goyle fell back, covering his eye. _We're doomed._

From Crabbe's wand burst through fire.

He swung his wand back and forth, spreading the fire throughout the room. _He just set the whole room on fire._ Weasley had already fled.

 _At least he was smart._

The fire wouldn't stop, it just kept emerging from Crabbe's wand and Crabbe couldn't get it to stop. There was no way out. The fire had blocked their path. The fire formed into a snake and appeared to sneer at them. Draco grabbed Goyle and pulled towards a massive pile of broken furniture. It was their only choice. Crabbe finally threw away his wand.

The Slytherins climbed up the junk with speed. Draco was terrified. He kept his eye on Goyle and Crabbe who were just behind him. Draco reached the top, it was a flat table. _It's stable._ He reached out his hand for Goyle and pulled him up. Crabbe was further down the pile. Crabbe reached out for support. Instead he took hold of a chair. It came loose.

And he fell. Consumed by the inferno he created.

Draco looked down. _Crabbe's dead. I killed him._ Crabbe was an idiot but he wasn't stupid enough to try and capture Potter, only Draco was that stupid.

Draco looked around and the room was engulfed in flame. There was no way out. _You just got yourself killed and your friends killed. For what?_ Draco knew why. He wanted to know if he was a true killer. Now he knew. He was an idiot who messed everything up by killing Dumbledore.

The table gave way. Draco and Goyle held on for dear life. _This is not how I saw it ending._

Draco couldn't look down at the flames. He knew he was doomed but he didn't want to die screaming.

The Potter flew past.

 _What the hell?_ Potter was flying on a broom. He was coming in closer. Weasley and Granger were on a broom as well and were flying closer as well. _They're trying to save us._

Granger reached and pulled Goyle onto the broom. Weasley just about managed to keep the broom steady. Potter reached out his hand.

Draco took it.

He leapt onto the broom and held on. Potter knew how to fly. _He's better than me._ Draco wasn't interested in learning why Potter would save him. He just went along with it.


	6. Chapter 6 The Elder Wand

CHAPTER 6 – The Elder Wand

 _Potter saved me._ Draco was confused. Why would Potter bother saving him? He had killed Dumbledore and just tried to capture him and he still risked his life to save Draco. _Dumbledore tried as well_. The more the voice spoke the more Draco listened. He didn't like it but he knew it spoke the truth.

Draco fled from Potter after they escaped the inferno, he didn't want to stay there. The battle was raging and the school was burning. Draco escaped one inferno and entered another.

Goyle had fled as well but Draco lost sight of him. _If I get him killed to, I'll never forgive myself._ Draco had to find him.

Instead, his parents found him.

They held Draco tightly, relieved that he was still alive and unharmed. Draco was partly touched but more confused. None of them had wands, they were in more danger in a battle than anyone else. So why the risk? "What are you doing here?" Draco quickly asked. Mother was quick to answer "Looking for you" she embraced Draco tightly. Lucius stuttered "The Dark Lord… he wants you brought to him"

Draco's face fell. _I'm doomed._

 _The Shrieking Shack_

The Malfoys entered the wreck to find The Dark Lord waiting. His snake was with as it always was. The Dark Lord had become very protective of the creature as of late.

The Dark Lord turned and looked Draco in the eyes. He was pleased "Well done". Draco didn't know what to expect, if The Dark Lord knew that he tried and failed to capture Potter. He knew what would happen if he did know.

The Dark Lord approached and calmly asked "Tell me. Why have I not performed extraordinary feats with this wand? It feels much like your wand Lucius". This was not what Draco expected the Dark Lord wanted for them. Lucius reassuringly claimed "You have performed extraordinary feats in this evening alone, my Lord" "No" The Dark Lord spoke with sternness in his voice.

He walked up to the Malfoys, all of whom struggled to maintain eye contact with him. He continued "I am extraordinary but the wand resists me".

 _Where is he going with this?_ Draco couldn't see what the performance of a wand could have to do with him. The Dark Lord stared coldly at Draco and politely asked "Why do you think that is, Draco?" _Why is he asking me? I barely know anything about wandlore._ Father tried to speak up "My Lord-" The Dark Lord slapped him across the face. Father stepped back like a scared dog. _Our family has truly fallen_.

Draco had to answer "Ollivander, himself, said that the Elder Wand was the most powerful wand ever made. I don't know why he'd lie" That was all Draco could think off. The Dark Lord didn't seem to appreciate that response. Mother was quick to defend Draco "My Lord, Draco is not very knowledgeable on wandlore. He cannot offer you any answers". The Dark Lord turned and walked away from the Malfoys. _He's not done with us yet._ "Maybe" he said "but he is still a clever boy, so I ask you Draco" The Dark Lord turned to Draco and calmly asked "Where does its true loyalty lie?" Draco was truly confused, he still gave an answer "With you, my Lord" That had to be the truth, The Dark Lord had taken the wand from Dumbledore's tomb, he must be the wand's master.

"The Elder Wand resists me because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner" _He can't mean._ Draco was now truly afraid, so were Mother and Father. They held each other tightly. The Dark Lord continued "You killed Dumbledore, Draco. As long as you live, The Elder Wand cannot truly be mine". _He'll do it._

Mother protested "My Lord-"

The Dark Lord flicked the Wand.

Mother and Father gasped. Red stains appeared at their necks. _He's done it._

His parents collapsed to the floor as Draco stood shaken and terrified. "Nagini" The Dark Lord ordered "Kill"

The snake struck Draco's chest. Then his neck. Before striking his chest twice more before biting hard into his neck.

She relented and slithered to her master. They disapparated.

Draco collapsed. He was choking on his blood as he lay on the floor. He couldn't reach his parents. They crawled to him. They were weak and dying but still they crawled to him. The held each other.

 _I chose wrong. Now I paid the price._

 _Potter?_ Draco could barely make out the image of Potter. He was here. Draco looked and saw no malice, no anger, just pity.

 _At least Potter didn't hate me. At the end._

Draco's eyes looked at Potter. Then he was still.


	7. Chapter 7 Fall of the Dark Lord

CHAPTER 7 – Fall of the Dark Lord

"You killed Dumbledore, Draco. As long as you live, The Elder Wand cannot truly be mine" Voldemort calmly spoke. _He'll kill them._ Harry couldn't barge in, he'd end up just like them.

"My Lord-" Narcissa uttered before she and her husband collapsed to the floor. Harry knew what happened and that he couldn't save anyone. Not here. Not even in Hogwarts.

Finally, Voldemort gave his order "Nagini. Kill."

The snake struck Draco five times, with her final strike lasting several seconds. Harry knew that Draco was done, that the Malfoys were done.

Once Voldemort disapparated, Harry knew it was safe to enter. Yet he was still.

Then came a faint creaking from inside the room. _They're still alive._

Harry entered the room. He saw them, three feebly stirring bodies lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere. Nothing in Hermione's bag could help them. Harry couldn't bring himself to say anything. He hated the Malfoys. Even still, he never wished this fate upon them. He didn't wish this fate on the Dursleys.

Draco's eyes found Harry's. They looked at each other. And Harry saw fear. _He's a scared little boy._

Narcissa and Lucius had already stopped stirring. It was clear that Draco would follow them. As Harry continued to look at Draco, something in his eyes changed. There was no angry, no hate, no more fear. Peace. Draco saw no hate in Harry, that was enough for him. Then Draco's eye stared without seeing and his breath left him.

Hermione turned away from the sight. She didn't like them but this still wasn't a pleasant view to behold. Ron, too, struggled to hold back his horror. He hated the Malfoys far longer than Harry did but he didn't find any joy in this. Just a sickening feeling. As for Harry, he didn't know how to feel. He hated Draco since he laid eyes on him. _I stilled saved his life. For all the good it did._ Harry had failed to save anybody. Cedric, Sirius, Dobby… Fred. _I failed to save any of them._ Now even Draco. Harry felt… sick. He didn't want any of this.

 _Headmaster's Office_

Harry quickly closed the door behind him. He couldn't stay there. The Weasleys were distraught over Fred. Remus and Tonks were lain beside him. _Their son will never know them. And Tonks' mother… She's lost too much._

Harry looked into the room. _Someone else had been here._

The Pensieve was waiting for him. A small flask atop it.

Someone wanted to look. Harry approached the Pensieve. He didn't know what memories he was to witness but he had to see. _I need help._

 _After Prince's Tale – King's Cross_

Voldemort awoke.

He didn't understand what had happened.

Bellatrix scurried towards her master and attempted to bring back to his feet. Voldemort was less than thrilled. "I do not need your help" He pushed Bellatrix away once he found his feet. He looked out and saw Harry Potter lying flat on the forest ground.

That was not normal. He had to know the boy was finally dead.

"Someone. Check him" he ordered.

The Death Eaters were frozen, they were terrified about approaching the boy. Except Snape. He slithered towards the body. He knelt to the ground.

And felt a pulse. Snape paused. A rare smile etched across his. He rose up and looked back to Voldemort.

"Dead."

 _Once the Battle resumes_

Voldemort was beyond furious. Longbottom killed her. He will make that boy answer for what he did. _Maybe he should've gone after the boy instead of Potter. He'd have been less troublesome._

Snape stood before him. His wand at the ready.

This hurt Voldemort. "Severus?"

"For Lily."

 _Of course._ Severus insisted that Voldemort spare that filthy mudblood. Voldemort grinned. He may have lost a loyal ally but that would soon be dealt with. "Don't worry. You'll see her again soon"

Snape was not scared. He fired at Voldemort. It was blocked.

The duel continued like this. Voldemort toyed with Snape.

Snape sent rubble flying towards him, Voldemort dissolved the rubble into dust. Every spell Snape fired at him, Voldemort swiftly blocked it.

Soon, he grew tired of toying Snape and chose to end it. With his opponent's very own spell.

Voldemort slashed his wand across Snape. His garb began to bleed red. Snape grew pale as he fell to his knees. Voldemort smiled at the sight. The coward would die. Just like his mudblood love.

Voldemort looked across the hall and saw Bellatrix. She fell. She had been bested… by a Weasley.

All pleasure he got from killing Snape was gone, replaced with rage at the loss of his most loyal servant. Voldemort would strike down the blood traitor.

Then Harry Potter revealed himself. Alive and well. His wand ready.

Voldemort looked at the boy. The battle had come to a halt. The boy was alive. He had failed to kill the boy. _Again._

A strange laugh was heard. Snape laughed at him. He was glad to see him fail. Voldemort silenced with a snap of his neck.

He turned back to Potter. _I've had enough of the Boy Who Lived._

The boy was not scared. He addressed Voldemort as if he was nothing "You were right. When you said that wand was failing. It will always fail you." Voldemort smirked at the boy's false sense of belief. He had already claimed the wand's loyalty with Draco's blood. "I am its master. I killed Draco!" That boy didn't back down "True. But that wand no longer belonged to Draco when you killed him" Harry lifted up his wand and continued "I took his wand" Voldemort froze.

"That wand you carry… is mine" the boy finished.

Voldemort stared down Potter. He's lying. _What if he isn't?_

He ignored the voice of a coward. He would not let a little boy of no exceptional talent beat him.

"Avada Kedavra!"

All he felt was the wand fly from his fingertips. The last thing he saw was the ceiling of the Great Hall. Dawn was approaching.

With that Tom Riddle's body collapsed to the stone floor of the only place he called home.

Harry looked at the fallen body of Tom Riddle and had one thought, _too many dead just to stop him._

His thoughts went to Draco. He didn't hate the boy anymore but felt sorry for him. _There should've been another way._


End file.
